The seminal colliculus (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''colliculus seminalis''), or verumontanum, of the

prostatic urethra The prostatic urethra, the widest and most dilatable part of the urethra canal, is about 3 cm long. It runs almost vertically through the prostate from its base to its apex, lying nearer its anterior than its posterior surface; the form of ...

is a landmark distal to the entrance of the

ejaculatory duct The ejaculatory ducts (''ductus ejaculatorii'') are paired structures in the male reproductive system. Each ejaculatory duct is formed by the union of the vas deferens with the Excretory duct of seminal gland, duct of the seminal vesicle. They pa ...

s (on both sides, corresponding

vas deferens The vas deferens (: vasa deferentia), ductus deferens (: ductūs deferentes), or sperm duct is part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates. In mammals, spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules and flow into the epididyma ...

and

seminal vesicle The seminal vesicles (also called vesicular glands or seminal glands) are a pair of convoluted tubular accessory glands that lie behind the urinary bladder of male mammals. They secrete fluid that largely composes the semen. The vesicles are 5 ...

feed into corresponding ejaculatory duct). ''Verumontanum'' is translated from

to mean 'mountain ridge', a reference to the distinctive median elevation of

urothelium Transitional epithelium is a type of stratified epithelium. Transitional epithelium is a type of tissue that changes shape in response to stretching (stretchable epithelium). The transitional epithelium usually appears cuboidal when relaxed and ...

that characterizes the landmark on magnified views.

Embryo An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sp ...

logically, it is derived from the uterovaginal

primordium A primordium (; : primordia; synonym: anlage), in embryology, is an Organ (anatomy), organ or tissue in its earliest recognizable stage of development. Cell (biology), Cells of the primordium are called primordial cells. A primordium is the simp ...

. The landmark is important in classification of several

urethra The urethra (: urethras or urethrae) is the tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus, through which Placentalia, placental mammals Urination, urinate and Ejaculation, ejaculate. The external urethral sphincter is a striated ...

l developmental disorders. The margins of seminal colliculus are the following: * the orifices of the prostatic utricle * the slit-like openings of the

s. * the openings of the

prostatic ducts The prostatic ducts (or prostatic ductules) open into the floor of the prostatic portion of the urethra, and are lined by two layers of epithelium, the inner layer consisting of columnar and the outer of small cubical cells. Small colloid masses, ...

Posterior urethral valves

The verumontanum is an important anatomic landmark for pathology in a

congenital A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellectual disability, intellectual, or dev ...

anomaly known as

posterior urethral valve Posterior urethral valve (PUV) disorder is an obstructive developmental anomaly in the urethra and genitourinary system of male newborns. A posterior urethral valve is an obstructing membrane in the posterior male urethra as a result of abnormal ...

s, in which there is a developmental obstruction of the urethra in newborn male infants. Urethral carcinoid tumors have been reported at the verumontanum. The structure tends to migrate

caudally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

, or downward, in hypospadia disorders and is then seen in the bulbous, or penile portion of the urethra.F Ikoma, H Shima. 1991. Caudal migration of the verumontanum. Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 26: 7, 858-861.

Prostatic utricle

The prostatic utricle (embryologic derivative of

urogenital sinus The urogenital sinus is a body part of a human or other Placentalia, placental only present in the development of the urinary system, development of the urinary and development of the reproductive organs, reproductive organs. It is the ventral p ...

and the male vestigial equivalent of vagina) arises from the urethra at the level of the verumontanum and projects posteriorly. This blind ending structure can be associated with

hypospadias Hypospadias is a common malformation in fetal development of the penis in which the urethra does not open from its usual location on the head of the penis. It is the second-most common birth defect of the male reproductive system, affecting about ...

. This is distinct from a Cowper duct syringocele, which arises at the bulbous urethra.

References

External links

* — "The Male Pelvis: The Prostate Gland" * () * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seminal Colliculus Mammal male reproductive system